Page 9 - AKA Leadership Conf Playbook

SEMINAR INTRODUCTION

• Good morning, my name is Shani Hosten, VP, Multicultural Leadership, AARP and it’s

my honor to present AARP’s session entitled: “Leading and Living Your Best Life” with
Deborah Owens and the amazing Ms. Kim Coles.
• In life, we all go through a series of ups and downs. When life throws us curveballs, it
can be all too easy for us to ask “Why me?” However, what if we shifted our
perspective and saw the negative events in our lives as blessings in disguise, as gifts that
we can leverage to make our lives and the lives of others better?
• Deborah Owens is a 20-year financial services industry veteran and former vice
president with Fidelity Investments financial expert, author, media personality and
nationally recognized public speaker. She is on a mission to close the wealth gap for

women and minorities. A financial expert and sought after speaker she has been
featured on NPR, TVOne, CNN, ABC, Sirius XM. She is the author of four critically
acclaimed books, Confident Investing, Everywoman’s Money, Nickel and Dime Your Way to
Wealth and A Purse of Your Own, and CEO of WealthyU, which provides coaching and
training for organizations and individuals with The Seven Wealthy Habits.™
• Ms. Coles truly needs no introduction but please allow me to brag on her for just a
moment…
• Well-known comedienne, actress, author, playwright, speaker and TV personality KIM
COLES continues to bring her fresh take on love, life, and laughter to comedy club
stages across the nation. She is truly a renaissance woman. Best known for her five-
season turn as the unforgettable “Synclaire” on FOX’s ground-breaking comedy series,

Living Single, Ms. Coles has starred in numerous hit television programs including
Frasier, Six Feet Under, In Living Color, One on One and the uproarious TBS comedy
series 10 Items Or Less. Kim has been a guest co-host for various shows, including
The View, The Talk, BET’s My Black is Beautiful and Good Day Live. She was the host
of BET’s My Black is Beautiful.
• Kim’s latest ventures include online workshops and academies where she guides
others who are ready to broadcast their brilliance by sharing and leveraging their
unique stories and gifts, so they can leave their legacy. She is also an author of 3 best-
selling books, “I’m Free But It Will Cost You: The Single Life According to Kim Coles.” “The

Gratitude Journal” and “Open Your Gifts - 22 Lessons for Finding and Embracing Your Personal
Power.” Open Your G.I.F.T.S., Vol. 2, is a collection of stories that encourages us to do just
that. G.I.F.T.S. stands for Gratitude, Intention, Forgiveness, Triumph, and Self-Love, and
the anthology is divided into sections that address each of these themes. Reading the
stories of these authors will inspire you to open your own G.I.F.T.S. and share them
with the world.
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• Please help me in welcoming Ms. Deborah Owens and Ms. Kim Coles.